Bergere pounds the tarmac in Abu Dhabi to become 2022 World Triathlon Champion
Frenchman Leo Bergere pounds the tarmac in Abu Dhabi to become the men’s 2022 World Triathlon Champion.
In the searing heat of Abu Dhabi, the Frenchman put together the perfect race and devoured the final 10km run to win the title after USA’s Morgan Pearson and Belgium’s Jelle Geens completed the podium spots respectively to leave GB’s Alex Yee who finished 4th with the Series silver and the Kiwi Hayden Wilde (6th) bronze.
What had been billed as a showdown between Yee and Wilde for the World Title, transpired into an unbelievable finale to the season when Bergere took off solo after a nine-man breakaway on the bike, leaving us to ponder whether Yee or Wilde coming out of the second pack could claw back enough places over the 10km run to take the overall title.
Both Yee and Wilde had won three World Series races during the 2022 extended series – due to the pandemic – that started some 14 months ago in Hamburg. However, Bergere consistency over the prolonged series with three podiums put him in the running for the 2022 World Crown, if the other favourite contenders did not deliver the race results on the day.
It was GB’s Brownlee who put down the power in the bike section TO form a nine-man breakaway, and Brownlee continued to set the pace leading out on the run with Bergere close on his heels. The heat took its toll on Brownlee at the 5k mark and as he began to fall back, but not so Bergere who was focused and full of running despite the hot and humid conditions.
With Yee or Wilde only needing to make the podium to take the title, there were other athletes with them in the chasing pack who had other ideas and it was USA’s Morgan Pearson charging through with the fastest run of the day who picked up the runners-up spot. A brilliant feat for the US athlete who has not raced for over a year.
With Bergere taking his first ever WTCS win on the World biggest stage the Frenchman at that point of proceedings had accumulated enough points to win the World Triathlon Championship unless Yee who was in a head to head race with Belgium’s Jelle Geens could take third spot – but try as he might Yee was outsprinted for the final podium spot by Geens and the Brit had to settle for runners-up spot in the overall Championship Series.
Consistency was the order of this year’s men’s World Triathlon Series as Frenchman Leo Bergere upset the odds to be crowned World Triathlon Champion 2022. Congratulations!
